It is common for users to enter a query consisting of one or more keywords and execute a search on a web page. Typically, search results are provided on a search results page that displays a list of links with titles. Sponsored and non-sponsored search results may be interleaved on the results page and displayed alongside a sponsored advertisement. Search providers rely on sponsored search results and placing advertisements alongside results to generate revenue.
Increasingly, users are executing searches on mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets. However, the traditional technique of providing a list of results is not well-suited to the particular technical constraints of a mobile device, such as display and touchscreen constraints, as well as use case constraints associated with mobile devices, such as use during transit, for example. There is, therefore, a set of engineering problems to be solved in order to provide search results to users that are well adapted to mobile devices or mobile device interfaces to other devices (such as televisions).
Additionally, mobile device present technical constraints and limits that make conventional sponsored content impractical in the mobile context. Consequently, the monetization of search results that are adapted to mobile devices or mobile device interfaces to other devices raises further technical problems to be solved as well. For example, placement of conventional sponsored ads in the mobile context may be intrusive to the user experience and may not be feasible given the restraints of mobile displays. Mobile users are simply unwilling to use applications that devote large portions of their limited screen space to advertisements or promoted listings. Given that search providers are no longer able to place targeted content alongside or interleaved with search results, traditional use of keywords to identify and place advertisements raises significant technical barriers to monetization and is no longer sufficient for mobile devices. Consequently, there exists an additional set of engineering problems to be solved in order to monetize content adapted for use and display on mobile devices.